Tag: regulatory update

The Government of Canada announced it has made amendments to the invitation to qualify (ITQ) for a third National Shipbuilding Strategy shipyard, correcting an inconsistency in the vessel dimensions that shipyards’ must be capable of building and launching.

Following recommendations in the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee Production Subcommittee Final Report in March 2018, the US Coast Guard eliminated the need for submissions of service life extension requests, as previously outlined in D8 Policy Letter 01-2016.

Between 8 Sep 2019 and Sep 2024, the BWM Convention will reach the second phase of its implementation where all ships will have to conform to the D-2 standard. In other words, after 15 years, the Ballast Water Management Convention is coming into full effect from this September since all ships must be fitted with D-2-compliant ballast water treatment system by the next IOPP renewal survey but not later than 8 September 2024.

IMO's MEPC 74 in May adopted amendments to MARPOL Annexes I, II, V, VI and the NOx Technical Code, regarding the use of electronic record books, approved as alternative of hard copy record books under the MARPOL Convention. The Committee also adopted guidelines to support the use of electronic record books.

IMO's MEPC 74 in May adopted resolution MEPC.315(74), amending regulations 1, 13, appendix IV and appendix VI of MARPOL Annex II concerning cargo residues and tank washings of persistent floating products with a high viscosity and/or high melting point in specific areas.

On 17 May 2019, MEPC 74 adopted resolution MEPC.319(74) in order to amend the special, operational and minimum requirements in Chapters IV, V and VI of the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (BCH Code). These amendments are expected to apply from 1 January 2021.

The US Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is seeking public comment on a proposal to amend the requirements regulating personnel permitted to serve as a person in charge (PIC) of fuel oil transfers on an inspected vessel.

In 1978, IMO adopted a landmark Convention for all seafarers across the world to establish high standards of competence and professionalism in their duties on-board. The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, the STCW Convention in brief, establishes the minimum basic requirements on training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers on an international level.

On 7 August 2019, a total of 46 states signed the new UN Convention on international settlement agreements resulting from mediation (the Singapore convention on mediation), at a ceremony at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.

The US Coast Guard has approved Inland Towing Operators Working Together (ITOW) as a third-party organization (TPO) to carry out certain functions in accordance with Subchapter M, the Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise (TVNCOE) announced on 5 August.